Falling Feathers
by Roanna the Mighty Badger
Summary: Ayano Hatoko had no idea what she saw in Sasuke Uchiha. He was a dick most of the time, and his hair looked like a chicken's butt. But he had his moments. Maybe those fangirls were onto something... Sasuke X OC, Obviously. Possible bits of NaruHina. Rated T for Language, Possible Sexual Innuendos, and Violence. Blame my brain.
1. Prologue

Fallen Feathers

Prologue

I would always remember the day I met him. Sasuke Uchiha. We were seven, and it was the first day of school. He wasn't particularly friendly to me, or anyone else; he was shy, and was probably afraid of the fangirls, who were crazy for him even then. But even though I never really talked to him, I could tell he was happy then. His eyes had a brightness that they lacked now, and he smiled occasionally. That smile would disappear the next year.

*Six years earlier

Light shined gently through the windows of the academy. Children ages six and seven animatedly chattered to one another, eager to make new friends. It was the first day of school, and Ayano Hatoko was excited. There were so many new people that she had never seen before. Of course, she recognized a few; Ino Yamanaka, whose family ran a flower shop that her aunt liked to visit, and Naruto Uzumaki, a boy that her aunt and uncle usually fought about. Ayano's aunt liked him, but her uncle didn't. She didn't know why they argued about him, and she didn't ask.

The noise of talking diminished as the teacher came into the room. He was a tan man with kind eyes, and a large scar on his nose. He smiled slightly as he introduced himself.

"Hello everyone, my name is Iruka Umino, and I will be your sensei for the next few years. Take your seats and as I call roll, tell us a thing or two about yourself."

The students sat in random spots, friends choosing to sit next to one another while the children who didn't know very many people filled in the gaps. A minute later young Ayano found herself sitting in between a dark haired boy and Naruto. As the other children introduced themselves, she felt a burning in the back of her head, and turned around to see a pink haired girl glaring at her. The girl stuck her tongue out at her and Ayano turned back around, confused.

"Hatoko, Ayano." Surprised, Ayano stood up clumsily.

"Oh, uh, here. I'm seven, I like drawing and training, and my aunt and uncle." She said, sitting back down on her seat. The introductions continued and class began. As Iruka-sensei began to talk, the grey haired child turned to the boy to her left, who she had learned was Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hi, I'm Ayano." The boy seemed to mentally debate on replying, before speaking.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

*Present

And though we never became friends or talked, he didn't hate me. And looking back on it, that was an achievement in itself.

* * *

**Aaaaand here we go! Prologue up! I'd really appreciate some feedback, so tell me what you think! If you're reading this, thanks for checking out my fanfiction. :)**

**Disclaimer: *sarcastic voice* Oh yeah, I totally own Naruto. That's why I'm writing fanfiction. **


	2. Chapter One

One- I meet the Number One, Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja

It was chaos as my family and I attempted to get ready for the day. Keyword, _attempted._ My uncle, a jonin, had to go on a mission to Grass Country, and it was my cousin's first day of school. Now, one may ask why it was so difficult. I will tell you why. My uncle, Nobu Hatoko, despite being a jonin, had always been extremely disorganized. So was my cousin. It seemed to run in the family.

So, my uncle, being- well, _my uncle,_ woke up 40 minutes after his alarm went off. He was supposed to meet the client and his team at 7:30. It was 7:20, and he had woken up ten minutes ago. I got up at 6:45, and though I should've woken him up, I figured he'd never learn if his bad habits didn't bite him in the ass. I was making good time this morning, mainly because I had to get my cousin Suzu ready for her first day of school. She was five, and she was a bundle of energy. _Loud_ energy.

As I was pulling my dove grey hair into a bun, I heard the familiar shout of Suzu from downstairs.

"Ayano-neechan!" She started, and I could tell by her tone that she had lost something or broken something or worse. I sighed; just when I thought things were going smoothly.

"I can't find my shoes!" I paused, thinking about where her sandals might've been hiding.

"Did you check under the couch?" I yelled back and there was a pause.

"...Of course!"

"Check under the couch, Suzu."

"Found them!" I smiled; my family was tiring, but I loved them.

I walked downstairs, hairbrush in hand.

"Suzu, come over here. I need to fix your hair." The five year old froze, looking at me with wide eyes.

"No!" She shouted, putting her hands on her head and running away from me on her tiny legs. I grinned. So she was going to play this game. I wanted to chase after her, but I knew what would be more affective.

"Oh well then. I guess you'll just have to go to school with your hair in a bird's nest. I don't have time to fight with you. Let's go." I said, turning around and heading for the door that my uncle had walked out of several minutes ago in a rush.

"Wait!" I smirked.

"Come over here." I said, as I sat down on the couch.

I pulled the hairbrush through her grey strands, gently dismantling the tangles in her wavy hair. When I was done, I grabbed a light pink headband and stuck it in her hair.

"There. Now isn't that better. I'll make you some ce-" I stopped as I glanced at the clock. 7:40.

"Shit! Nevermind, let's go!" I said, grabbing her backpack, my bag, and an apple for her as I dragged her through the door, ignoring her yell of "You said a bad word!"

Even though we had twenty minutes until her school started, I couldn't go as fast as I wanted with her, and it was nearly on the other side of Konoha. Our old compound was on the southwest side of the village, and the normal school was around the center of the village, more on the east side than the west. And I wanted to be early so I could walk her in.

A little over fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the building for grades 1-5 with a few minutes to spare. We walked inside, discarding the apple core in the nearest trashbin and quickly found her classroom. Before entering the room, I squatted down to Suzu's height, smoothing her hair and fixing her headband.

"Okay, do you remember what Uncle and I said last night?" I asked her, handing her her backpack.

"Yeah. Make friends, have fun, and try not to piss off the teacher." She said cheerily, and I playfully tapped her on the head.

"Right. And don't say piss." I laughed.

"Now get in there, have fun! Mrs. Takashi will pick you up when school's over, since your dad's on a mission and I get out later. Love you!" I said as I turned and left the school.

* * *

With thirty minutes to spare, I walked through the streets of Konoha, making sure to stay within range of the academy. Fortunately, Ichiraku Ramen was nearby. I checked my pocket for money and found a few 5 ryo bills. I grinned; it looked like I was having ramen for breakfast. _Pork ramen, here I come._

()()()()

I sat next to Hinata as Iruka-sensei listed the teams. As he spoke, I couldn't help but wonder how Naruto managed to become a genin overnight. The loud blonde looked up as his name was called as Iruka-sensei listed Naruto's team.

"..Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha," He continued, causing a happy shout from the pink haired girl.

" and, due to uneven amounts of academy students this year, we are adding Ayano Hatoko to genin Team 7."

My eyes grew wide at this; four genins in a squad? That was unusual. I looked down a few rows to where my new teammates were all sitting. Hinata looked at me with a sort of sad look on her face.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan. You'll still see Naruto around. " I said, patting her on the arm. Everyone knew about Hinata's humongous crush on the blonde, except Naruto himself.

"Next, Team 8; Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga."

"Team 9; Haruhi Tenzai, Mika Kureno, and Daisuke Karasu."

"Team 10; Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chouji Akimichi." I could've laughed at the expression on the Yamanaka girl's face. Chouji continued to munch as if nothing had happened.

"That's it for groups." All of the sudden, Naruto stood up, angrily pointing to Sasuke.

"Iruka-sensei! Why is a top student like me on the same team with this guy?!" Naruto yelled.

"Sasuke graduated at the top of the class. You were at the bottom." Said Iruka-sensei, and everyone laughed. I couldn't hold back a chuckle at the display.

"This happens because we need to balance abilities between the groups." Iruka-sensei continued.

"Don't pull my leg, Dobe." Sasuke said in a serious tone.

"What did you say?!" Naruto yelled in reply. He was yelling more than usual today.

"Do you want to fight, Dobe?"

"Dobe?! Why you-"

"Stop it, Naruto!" Sakura yelled, and the blonde immediately stopped.

"Sorry…"

"I'll introduce the jonin senseis this afternoon. Until then, meeting adjourned!" Iruka-sensei announced, and the new genins left the class.

As I stepped outside, I saw Sakura looking around in confusion.

"Where did Sasuke-kun go? I was hoping that since we're on the same team now, we could have lunch together." Sakura said, looking for Sasuke. Naruto excitedly ran past me and up to Sakura.  
"Hey Sakura-chan! I was thinking that since we're teammates now we could go and eat lunch together!"

"Why do I have to eat with you?" Sakura asked (rather rudely If you ask me).

"Well, we're on the same team so…"

"You're annoying."

I winced; ouch. The pinkette then continued to search for her precious 'Sasuke-kun'.

"*cough* bitch *cough*" I said quietly, and Sakura glared at me, before making a *hmph* sound and continuing on her search.

"Ne, Naruto, want to get some ramen?" Naruto immediately perked up at the word 'ramen'.

"Really?"

"Yup, c'mon. I figure I need to get along with at least one of my teammates. Let's go."

()()()()

I happily slurped at the Miso Ramen and looked over to Naruto, who was already on his fourth bowl.

"Dang, you can really pack it away. Do you have a hollow leg or something?" I joked, and the blonde looked at me with a grin.

"I just really love ramen, dattebayo!" He said with a bright grin and I laughed at the bit of egg that was stuck in his teeth.

I set my chopsticks down.

"So, Naruto, what do you think of the people on our team?" He seemed to consider this for a moment, before replying.

"Well, I like Sakura-chan, even though she can be rude sometimes… But I'm sure she'll come around! You seem nice; I like your choice in ramen." He paused, then continued.

"And I hate Sasuke-teme. He thinks he's better than everyone just because he's top of the class." Naruto then proceeded to mock the Uchiha with grumbles of "Do you want to fight, Dobe?"

I chuckled, then checked the clock on Ichiraku's wall.

"We should probably head back."

"Aww, but I didn't even get to the fifth bowl!" Naruto whined, and it was so childish that I laughed out loud.

"C'mon, let's go meet up with Pinky and the Brain."

()()()()

Turns out, Sasuke wasn't there yet, so we were left with Pinky. We were headed down the street when we saw Sakura sitting alone on the bench. Naruto asked me to stay since 'it was his chance'. I could see her trying to smile (and failing) as the blonde came up to her. Naruto raised his hand in greeting with a big smile.

"Hey, Sakura-chan d-" He suddenly stopped, grasping his stomach and turning green as he abruptly ran in the other direction, yelling something about milk.

I laughed.

**Disclaimer: Own Naruto I do not.**

**Okay, so how did you guys like it? Is it alright? Sorry it took so long, I got distracted by watching Naruto Shippuden (I needed to get caught up) and playing Guitar Hero 3. Sorry. By the way, are you guys caught up with the anime (or the manga)? because I cannot believe what happened. I seriously was like WTF for the last few episodes. Hashirama is nothing like I pictured him and I cannot fucking believe that *blank* died. I almost cried (and that's a lot for me; I have tearducts of steel)**

**Anyways, since some of you might be watching in English Dub I'll put some translations down because when I first started reading fanfiction back when I watched in dub (I shudder at the thought) I didn't even know what Konohagakure was and I'm still iffy on some of the Hidden Villages. I still get Iwagakure and Amegakure mixed up. **

**SO.**

_**neechan:**_** A suffix used used meaning 'big-sister'**

_**dattebayo: **_**The Japanese version of 'Believe it!'**

_**Dobe: **_**Dead last. Sasuke commonly uses it as an insult/nickname**

_**Teme: **_**Bastard. Naruto commonly uses this to refer to Sasuke/insult Sasuke and a suffix for Sasuke's name.**

_**Ryo: **_**According to Narutopedia, Ryos are the currency of Naruto-land. I'm comparing a Ryo to the American Dollar because a Yen is worth 0.0098 US Dollars and 0.0058 Pounds. So for the sake of simplicity it is a normal dollar/pound.**

**And I am in no way fluent/passable in Japanese, so these translations aren't accurate, these are what I've gathered from watching in sub and Narutopedia.**

**Until Next Time, Roanna :)**


	3. Chapter Two

Two- First Impressions: I Don't Like You

I groaned in boredom. Our sensei was a little late. And by a little, I meant three hours late. What the hell was taking him so long? Naruto looked out into the hallway, searching for the missing jonin.

"He's late." Said Naruto, and I snorted.

"No shit." I mumbled.

"Come sit down Naruto." Sakura said.

"Out of all the jonin, we get the one that's three hours late." I grumbled angrily, earning nods of agreement from Sakura, Naruto, and even a grunt from Sasuke, to my surprise. I wasn't fluent in 'Hn' but I figured that it meant he agreed.

Suddenly, Naruto stood up, looking like an idea came to his big blonde head. He dragged a chair to the door, grabbing an eraser. He chuckled mischievously as he set the eraser in between the door and the wall. I sweatdropped; so far I liked Naruto, but he...seemed like an idiot. Would a jonin really fall for such a simple prank? Our heads quickly turned as we head footsteps down the hall and Naruto hastily pushed the chair back and sat down. Looked like I was about to find out.

A grey-haired jonin stepped into the room, pausing as the eraser fell on his head. Naruto immediately started snickering as Sakura started blabbering about how _she _told Naruto not to, but he didn't listen. I sighed and leaned my head on my hand.

He looked at us for a moment.

"How should I say this… My first impression of you guys is.. I don't like you." I slammed my head down on the desk in response. Was this guy for real?

"Well fine, we don't like you either, asshole." I replied into the desk childishly.

* * *

We all sat on the roof of the building with our new sensei in front of us. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke sat on a step or two above me, and I sat in the middle a few steps down.

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves." The man started.

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?" Asked Sakura, and my eye twitched in irritation.

"Does it really matter? It's not that hard to introduce yourself." I grumbled and Sakura glared at me.

"Well I just wanted to know the specifics."

"Just tell us what you hate, what you like, some hobbies, and your dreams."Said the jonin.

"Why don't you tell us about yourself first, Sensei?" I asked him.

"Me?" He pointed to himself.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have no intentions of telling you my likes and dislikes." He started, and we looked up in surprise while Sasuke's scowl deepened a bit.

"As for my dream…" He trailed off.

"I have a few hobbies."

"All we found out was his name." Sakura grumbled quietly and I found myself agreeing with Pinky. I sweatdropped. Anyways, Naruto began.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He began with a grin, and picked up his headband.

"I like cup ramen, but I like the Ichiraku ramen that Iruka-sensei bought for me even more. I hate the three minutes that I have to wait for cup ramen." I laughed at his frown at the thought of waiting for his precious ramen to finish. He continued.

"My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen! And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage! I'm going to make all the villagers recognize my existence!"

"I see. He was grew up in an interesting way. Next." Said Kakashi-sensei.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! I like.. well, the person I like is…" She trailed off, blushing, and looked obviously at Sasuke. I scowled.

"And my hobby is… Well, my dream is to…" She blushed and shook her head, then 'Kyah!'d'. _Probably to have shower sex with Sasuke or something…_ I thought.

"And? What do you hate?" Asked Kakashi-sensei. She debated this for a moment, before replying.

"Naruto! And I don't like Ayano!" I scoffed.

"Feeling's mutual, Pinky." I replied.

"Most girls her age must be more interested in love than ninja training." Kakashi-sensei said to himself. Sasuke began.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things that I hate, and not very many things that I like." Sakura looked saddened at this. Did she really think that Sasuke would profess his undying love or something?

"I have an ambition that I have no intention of leaving as a dream. The revival of my clan, and to kill a certain man." I raised my eyebrows at this. The revival of his clan was a bit expected- hell, I wanted to make my clan larger- but to kill someone? That was a bit morbid for a twelve year old. Kakashi-sensei didn't look surprised at this, but we all stared at him for a moment.

"I hope he's not referring to me.." Naruto mumbled to himself. Sakura blushed.

"Sasuke-kun _is _cool." She whispered to herself and I blanched.

"Seriously? _That's_ what she gets out of it?" I asked myself quietly and put my hand over the bridge of my nose in exasperation.

"Well, I guess it's my turn. I'm Ayano Hatoko, I like drawing, training with my uncle, and my falcon, Tori-kun. He's not that good yet, but I'm training him to be like a messenger hawk and help me with things like a ninken." I started, and Sasuke looked at me like I was stupid for a moment.

"What?"

"You named your falcon.." He started and I cut him off.

"I was five, give me a break."

"Anyways, things that I don't like.. I don't like the color orange- no offense, Naruto- and I don't like fangirls." At this I pointedly looked at Sakura, glaring. All they cared about was their precious Sasuke-kun. What was the big deal about him? Yeah, he was attractive, I wasn't denying that. But, his hair faintly resembled a bird's ass and he was rude and arrogant.

"Uh, hobbies. They include drawing and playing/training with Tori-kun, and training with my uncle Nobu. Pretty much the same as my likes. Dreams…. I'd like to make Jonin rank, maybe ANBU. And also, I'd like to make the Hatoko clan big again. My family are the last." I finished, and blushed a bit when I realized that my introduction was longer than everyone else's. I think I saw Sasuke glance over at me when I said that my family were the last but I probably just imagined it.

"You four all have interesting personalities. We're going to begin a mission tomorrow."

"Ooh! A mission! What is it!" Three guesses on which blonde yelled that.

"Something that all five of us can do."

"What what what?!" Naruto yelled childishly, and I grinned at my teammates kid-like personality. There was a dramatic pause as we waited for Kakashi-sensei's answer.

"Survival training!"

A cricket chirped in the distance as we stared at Kakashi-sensei in slight confusion.

"Uh, Sensei, why are training when we just got out of the academy? What's the point?" I asked, voicing what we were all wondering. Suddenly, Kakashi-sensei started chuckling, which evolved into creepy laughter. What was so funny?

"What's so funny, Sensei?" Asked Sakura, and we waited for his response.

"Out of the twenty eight graduates, only nine- or ten -are going to become genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy." My chin dropped and my mouth hung open.

"In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test, with a dropout rate of 60%." Kakashi finished, and we all stared in shock.

"What the hell?! I've been in the academy for nearly six years, and you're telling me I might have to go back for another year?! I like Iruka-sensei and all, but I can't spend another year in that classroom!" I yelled in anger.

"No way! I went through all that trouble.. Then what was the exam for, dattebayo!?" Agreed Naruto, adding in his odd saying for emphasis. Kakashi scoffed in amusement.

"That? It just picks out who's able to become genin."

"Nani?!"

"Bullshit.." I exclaimed under my breath.

"Anyways, I'll determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 AM!"

Naruto stared at the ground in shock, and I could tell that he was freaking out over what Kakashi-sensei said. Sakura seemed deep in thought, probably telling herself she had to pass for the sake of love or something. Sasuke clenched his hands together, and I noticed they were shaking. I guess even the great prodigy was fretting over this. I looked down to my own hands, which were clasped in a similar fashion; I gritted my teeth. I thought back to what Kakashi-sensei had said earlier. '_How do I say this… My first impression of you guys is.. I don't like you.' _ I came to my conclusion.

"Okay, meeting dismissed. Oh, I almost forgot… don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up if you do." He said nonchalantly and left.

The silence was deafening as I voiced my conclusion.

"Well, we're fucked."

* * *

I stared at the apple on the counter. The apple stared back. I stared at the apple. The apple stared back. My stomach rumbled, interrupting us. Surely it wouldn't hurt if I just had a small snack… right? But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat breakfast… But then again, I had a stomach of steel. I'd eaten an entire pizza when I was eight at my birthday party. Surely I wouldn't throw up. But I didn't know how hard the training would be.. My brow furrowed as I glared at the infuriating fruit.

"Damn it, fine! I'll go without breakfast. You win, Kakashi-sensei." I gave in frustratedly. But, just in case, I snuck the apple into my shuriken pouch. It was large, and I rarely used them, preferring the trusty kunai.

I was glad that I had the house to myself for once, even though I didn't get to enjoy it since I had to leave to go to Hell- training. I meant training. Suzu, after learning that I had to go and wouldn't be able to get her ready, had immediately asked to spend the night at 's house. Mrs. Takashi was a civilian woman who lived outside the clan compound. She outwardly had a harsh appearance, but I had known her since I was three, and she was a gentle soul. She had a daughter a year older than Suzu, so naturally they were the best of friends.

Before leaving the house, I looked into the mirror on the closet door in the living room. I looked at the girl reflected back at me. Her grey hair was pulled into a bun and her light blue eyes stared into the mirror. I could see the twin black and white handles of two katana hanging from shoulder straps. Her sleeveless shirt left her arms bare, which were wrapped in bandages from the middle of her forearm down, and a Konoha headband was tied around her neck. This girl was a kunoichi. I was a kunoichi. I nodded at my reflection, ready to start the day.

()()()()

The sky was still a pale purple as we arrived at the training ground. I noticed Tori-kun flying overhead as we greeted each other.

"Ohayo.." Said Sakura, head bent down in sleepiness.

"Hey.." Said Naruto, lacking his usual enthusiasm.

"Don't talk to me until I've finished my coffee.." I said in a serious tone. I hadn't finished the cup yet, and I started gulping the warm liquid as soon as I finished talking. I finished with a sigh of happiness. Sasuke said nothing, which I was learning seemed to be his usual attitude.

And then we sat on the ground and waited. And waited. I was pretty sure I almost fell asleep a few times, but I wasn't sure. After what seemed like forever, the asshole arrived.

"Good morning." I scowled in reply.

"You're late!" Yelled Naruto and Sakura in unison. I sighed.

"A black cat crossed my path so.."

"Lies." I said, my eyebrow twitching in annoyance. Kakashi-sensei coughed.

"Let's move on." He walked over to a log, where a timer was sitting.

"It's set for noon. You have one hour to take one of these bells from me." He shook the three bells in his hand.

"Anyone who doesn't get a bell doesn't get lunch. You'll be tied to that post, and I will eat lunch in front of you." Said Kakashi-sensei. So that was why he said not to eat breakfast…. Well, as long we we all got bells we'd be fine.

"But Kakashi-sensei, why are there only three bells?" Asked Sakura.

Oh no.. There were only three bells in Kakashi-sensei's hand. One of us wouldn't be getting lunch. My stomach growled in protest.

"At least one of you won't be getting a bell, and will be tied to the post. That person will be sent back to the academy." I gulped; since there were four people on our team, that could actually happen… Who was it going to be?

"You can use your shuriken and kunai. If you want to get a bell from me, you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill."Kakashi-sensei said, jingling the bells around.

"But that's too dangerous, Sensei!" Protested Sakura. I looked at her.

"Look, we're shinobi and kunoichi now. Yeah, one of us could get hurt, but we could also get hurt, or even killed on a mission. We knew what we were getting into." I replied. Naruto seemed to have a different thought.

"Yeah, it might be dangerous for you, sensei! You couldn't even dodge a chalk eraser!"

"In society, those with lesser abilities complain more. Ignore the one with the lowest score." Kakashi said, and I saw Naruto clench his fist.

"In any case, Ayano's right. You knew what you were getting into when you joined the academy. We'll begin when I say 'Ready, Start!'" Then Naruto pounced.

All of the sudden he was going towards Kakashi-sensei with a kunai. It happened so quickly. One moment Naruto was about to hit Kakashi-sensei, the next moment Naruto was facing away from him with his own kunai aiming into his skull. _Woah.. So this is how good a jonin is…_

"Don't get so hasty. I didn't even say start. But, at least you have the will to kill me now. Ready, Start!"

And then we were hiding. I saw Sasuke a tree or two away, up in it's branches. I was at the bottom of my tree, wedging myself in between the trunk the the thick bushes that covered my head. I'm pretty sure Kakashi-sensei was saying something, but I couldn't hear him very well from where I was. Everyone was hiding. Except for Naruto.

"Hey! Let's have a match! Fair and square!" He announced, a large grin on his whiskered face. _Is he serious?.. _Naruto was my friend, but he was a freaking idiot. They were talking to each other, but I could only hear Naruto.

"What's weird is your hairstyle!" I placed a hand on my mouth to stifle a laugh. I actually kind of liked Kakashi-sensei's hair. It was grey like mine, and it looked very fluffy. Then Naruto started running to Kakashi-sensei, who reached a hand into his bag and Naruto froze. Kakashi-sensei pulled out…. an orange book. A familiar orange book. Icha Icha Paradise? He read those pervy books too? I only knew what they were because my uncle read them. Naruto seemed just as surprised as I was,and even Sasuke had raised his eyebrows a bit in shock.

"Well, what're you waiting for, come and get me." Said Kakashi-sensei as he started to read. And then Naruto was running at him again. He punched Kakashi-sensei, who blocked it. Kick. Duck. Punch. But this time, Kakashi-sensei disappeared and appeared right behind Naruto. _Damn it Naruto.. You're not supposed to let the enemy get behind you._ Kakashi's hand was in a.. I think it was Tora seal. I knew it was used for katon jutsus. Was he going to use ninjutsu on Naruto?

"Naruto, run! You're going to die!" Yelled Sakura, revealing her location. I doubted Kakashi-sensei would kill Naruto, but if he was going to use ninjutsu, the blonde would get burned, at least. A glint came to Kakashi-sensei's eye as he announced his attack.

"Hidden village of Konoha's secret master taijutsu technique, A Thousand Years of Pain!" He yelled, and stuck his.. fingers? in Naruto's ass (at least that's what it looked like). The blonde immediately yelled in pain and jumped into the air, screeching. An amused smile came to my face; so it wasn't a deadly ninjutsu, it was a funny technique.

"Two idiots.." I heard Sasuke whisper to himself.

"Come on, it was amusing." I whispered to him and he just looked at me with a frown. I shook my head. Okay, if he wanted to be a grump that was fine by me. Naruto fell into the water.

I looked at Kakashi-sensei, who was reading his book again. There was no way we'd be able to beat him by ourselves.. Suddenly, two shuriken came flying out of the water, and Kakashi-sensei caught them on his fingers, never looking away from his book. Naruto came crawling out of the water, coughing.

"What's the matter? If you keep this up, you won't get lunch." I frowned as my stomach ached.

"I can still fight even if I'm hungry!" Naruto yelled, and I saw Sasuke and Sakura with expressions similar to mine. I knew what we were all thinking; lunch. Then a bunch of Narutos popped out of the water. Bunshin? What was he doing?

"This is my best jutsu: The Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled and my eyes grew wide. Kage bunshin? What was that? I saw them moving towards Kakashi-sensei and my eye grew wide; they weren't just images. They were for real. As Kakashi-sensei was being distracted by the clones, a Naruto jumped and grabbed him from behind, catching us all by surprise. _Way to go, Naruto _I thought with a smile on my face. And then Naruto punched.. Naruto?

I sighed; Kakashi-sensei must've used Kawarimi to switch places.

"You're Kakashi-sensei in disguise! You thought you could fool me by turning into me!" Yelled Naruto, and started punching the other Naruto. Then, it turned into one big group fight between all the Narutos, each assuming that the other was Kakashi-sensei. Apparently sometime during the fight he got the idea to end the jutsu, and when he did it was just Naruto. He had beaten the shit out of himself. I facepalmed. _Idiot._ And then he saw a bell on the ground. _No. Don't do it. It's so obvious that it's a-_ he did it. Naruto was now hanging by his ankle tied with a rope.

There was no way we'd be able to get a bell from him fighting by ourselves. We had to work together. I didn't want to work with Sakura, so I looked over to Sasuke. I didn't think he'd be that up to working together, but if I came up with a plan, maybe I would be able to convince him. The boy seemed to have different ideas, however, as a barrage of shuriken came flying towards Kakashi-sensei.

* * *

**Okay! Sorry it took so long... I kept getting distracted by fanfiction. I am very frustrated; on the website I use to watch anime, Naruto Shippuuden episode 367 isn't out yet. A part of me is telling me to keep waiting, another part is telling me to go and read the manga, and another part of me is telling me to fuck Naruto Shippuuden and go watch Elfen Lied. **

**Words to learn:**

_Tori:_ bird

_Kage Bunshin: _Shadow Clone, Shadow Replication. You get the idea.

_Taju Kage Bunshin: _Multi Shadow Clone

_Kawarimi/Kawarimi no Jutsu: _Substitution/Replacement

_Dattebayo: _Believe it!

_Tora Seal: _Tiger Seal, typically used in Fire style Ninjutsu

**What do you guys think of Ayano? I want to show that while it seems like she can be kind of rude, she's really a nice person around people she's close to. Do you think she's okay? Also, did you like the length of this one more? I would've kept on going but it seemed like a good place to end it and I wanted to go ahead and get this up.**

**Thank you to LITTLE RED FOXX, Serenity10116, Tobi-Is-Fluffy-Chan (by the way, love the name) and Jessimakah for reviewing! It makes me so happy when I read them :).**

**Chapter Question: Who is your favorite member of the Akatsuki?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Naruto and Hinata would be making babies and Itachi would be alive.**


	4. Chapter Three

Three- All for One, and One for All

Kakashi-sensei fell to the ground as the shuriken embedded in his flesh and we all gasped in shock. _He was hit. _There was a puff of smoke and a log replaced Kakashi-sensei. _Damn it._ Now he knew where Sasuke was, and I was next to Sasuke so he might see me as well. The Uchiha quickly started jumping through the trees. Mentally debating on whether to follow Sasuke or not (since I _was _planning on trying to work together), I jumped after him. I heard a scream ring through the forest; so he found Sakura. I hastily looked to the left and right of me as I jumped through the branches. Two down and two to go. Well, if Naruto didn't get out of the trap, which I thought he would be able to. I heard another scream, probably from Sakura. I shook my head and ducked as I almost ran into a branch.

()()()()

"Shinobi tactics number two; Genjutsu. Sakura fell for it so easily." I looked down from my perch at Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke who were standing in the clearing.

"Genjutsu, huh? Hallucinatory mind techniques. No wonder Sakura fell for it." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"But I'm not like them" He continued and I glared at the back of his head. Naruto wasn't that bad of a shinobi if he would just listen, and… I had nothing to say about Sakura. I was alright too.

"Why don't you say that after you get a bell." Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke looked at one another for a moment, and I put a hand on one of my katanas. I knew that Sasuke wouldn't want my help, but I would jump in once they started fighting. That way he couldn't make me leave. Sasuke flung an array of kunai at Kakashi-sensei,and the jonin dodged them with ease. _He missed. I expected better of the great- _then one of the kunai cut a rope and more launched themselves at Kakashi-sensei.

Sasuke was then behind Kakashi-sensei, and landed a kick, which our sensei blocked. He punched, but the jonin blocked that too. Now was my chance. I jumped into the clearing, brandishing my two katana. At that moment, Sasuke turned and landed a kick. reaching for the bells. Quickly Kakashi pushed him away and the two landed several feet away from one another.

"It looks like another's arrived." Kakashi-sensei said, and Sasuke turned to look at me.

"You followed me." It wasn't a question.

"I figured we'd have better odds if we worked together. I didn't want to work with Sakura and Naruto was tied up. You seemed like the best bet." I replied, not denying his accusation.

"Che, you'll only slow me down."

"That's what you think." I said, and ran at Kakashi-sensei.

He blocked my katana with a kunai, and for a moment it was a matter of force; who would give in first? My katana or his kunai? I swept my leg and almost knocked his feet out from under him, but he slid away. I heard Sasuke behind me.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" And my eyes grew wide. I knew fire style, and that was not easy. I used Katon jutsus with my blades, and I knew that was a difficult jutsu. Hell, I'd been training since I was seven, and I couldn't do it. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be thinking similarly to me.

"What? Genins aren't supposed to be able to do that… He shouldn't have enough chakra."

Our fight had paused as we both watched Sasuke in surprise. Apparently, he did have enough chakra.

"Shit!" I yelled as I jumped quickly away.

"Watch where you're blowing that! I almost got hit!" I yelled, but Sasuke didn't seem to care. Fire blazed in the area where we were standing, and I patted the bandages on my left arm, which were singed. The jutsu ended, and smoke billowed from the spot. Kakashi-sensei was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone!" We hastily looked around to find our sensei.

"Where is he? Above? No, behind?"

"Where is he?" I asked no one.

"Beneath!" Came a voice and a hand grabbed Sasuke's leg.

"Doton: Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu." He announced and my eyes grew wide. Head hunter? Did that mean..

Yes, it did. Kakashi-sensei was crouched next to Sasuke's head, which was sticking out of the ground.

"Shinobi tactics number three; Ninjutsu. Can't move, right?" Sasuke didn't give him an answer, just turned his head with a 'Hn'. Then Kakashi-sensei started walking away.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I yelled, preparing my katana. Kakashi-sensei turned to look at me.

"Oh, I forgot you were there." My eye twitched.

"Where are you going?"

"To catch a food stealer." Was the answer he gave, and then he was gone. Damn it. I had missed my chance. I shook my head at myself and headed over to Sasuke. I crouched down next to him.

"Ano.. I don't know any Doton jutsus, and my Fuuton would probably just cut you to bits. Any ideas?" I asked awkwardly. Sasuke just glared.

All of the sudden, Sakura bursted through the bushes. She paused, looking at Sasuke in shock, and screamed.

"Now it's a severed head!" She yelled, and promptly fainted.

"What the hell?" I muttered, and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

()()()()

Sasuke leaned over and looked at Sakura. How he got out of the jutsu, I didn't know. She blearily opened her eyes.

"Sasuke...kun?" She asked, then leaped and hugged him with yells of 'You're okay!'

"It's almost noon; I'm going." Sasuke replied, and I walked over to him.

"Sasuke-kun, you're still going after the bell?" Sakura asked, not even looking at me.

"Uh, yeah. We are." I replied, making sure to include the 'we'. I was here too. It seemed she finally noticed me.

"You! Leave my Sasuke-kun alone! He doesn't need you to bother him! He has to focus!" She yelled at me, and my eye twitched.

"Evidently, he needs some help. Do you really think a genin will be able to take on a jonin and win? No."

"I don't want your help. And you didn't help me anyways." He replied, looking at me.

"Well if you hadn't nearly roasted me with that Katon it would've gone differently."I grumbled.

"Anyways, I was almost able to get it last time. This time I'll win." He replied to Sakura's earlier question.

"Um.. since we have little time, why don't we give up and do better next time." She suggested, and my eye twitched again.

"Why don't we just try again this time? We have enough time, especially if we work together. Not that I wanted to work with you in the first place." I replied.

"I wasn't asking you, old lady."

"Oi! My hair is natural grey! And it's a flattering color! Hush, Pinky!" This turned into a glaring contest. Sasuke seemed to somewhat agree with me (the earlier statement, not the one about my hair (which did NOT look like an old woman's)) as he glared at Sakura.

"I'm an avenger. I have to become stronger than him." He said, and I looked at Sasuke in confusion.

"I don't have time to fumble around here." Who was he talking about? Who did he want to kill? The bell interrupted my thoughts.

"Damn it. We wasted our time talking." I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance as I spoke. Sasuke walked away in the direction of the bell, and we all walked to our doom.

()()()()

We all sat around the logs, with Naruto tied up around one of the middle logs. Why he was tied up, I didn't know. All of the sudden, our stomachs growled in sync.

"Your stomachs are grumbling, huh? About the results of your training; none of you need to return to the Academy." Said Kakashi-sensei, who stood above us. We all exhaled in relief. _Thank god. _

"Huh? But all I did was faint. Is that okay?" Sakura said to herself. Sasuke hn'd.

"Well that's a relief." I said, a smile on my face. Naruto was childishly kicking his legs up and down.

"Does that mean us four.." Kakashi-sensei smiled; at least, I thought it was smiling. His eyes closed happily and his mask moved.

"Yeah, you four...Should quit being ninjas!" He said, and the smile fell. Wait. What did he say?

"We couldn't get a bell, but why did you have to say we should quit?!" Naruto yelled, and I agreed.  
"Yeah, Sensei! What the hell?!" I yelled in surprise and anger.

"It's because you four are just kids who don't even deserve to be ninjas." Sasuke ran at him and we gasped. Quickly, Kakashi sensei forced Sasuke under him and held him down.

"See? You all are just kids."

"Don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled, eyes filled with rage.

"Do you guys think being a ninja is easy? Why do you think we're training in groups?" Kakashi-sensei asked us.

"What do you mean?"

"In other words, you four don't understand the meaning of this test."

"Teamwork. It's teamwork, right? There's no way we could beat you on our own. That's why I followed Sasuke." I answered him.

"Yes. Teamwork. That's why you're split into groups. If all of you came at me at once, you might've gotten a bell."

"Wait.. Why are you emphasising teamwork when there's only three bells? It'll just start conflict." Sakura asked.

"Exactly. This test is designed to pit you against one another. In this situation, we look for people who prioritise teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but you all were pathetic." He started.

"Sakura! You cared only about Sasuke than Naruto or Ayano, even though Naruto was right in front of you and you didn't know where Sasuke was."

"Naruto! All you did was work on your own."

"Ayano! You had the idea, but you chose to work with Sasuke since you didn't like Sakura and Naruto was tied up."

"And you," He looked down at Sasuke.

"You thought everyone else would only burden you and did everything yourself. You didn't even care that Ayano was also in the range of your Katon jutsu." I bit my lip in anger; the bastard had singed my bandages and burnt my glove. Kakashi-sensei continued his scolding.

"Missions are done in groups. It's true that shinobi need individual skills, but teamwork is the most important. An individual act that disrupts teamwork will result in danger or death of comrades. For example:" Kakashi-sensei brandished a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat.

"Sakura! If you don't kill Naruto, I'll kill Sasuke!" I grabbed a hand to one of my katana; I didn't think Sakura was going to kill Naruto, but if she tried, I'd fight her off.

"That's what happens." Kakashi-sensei said, and took the kunai away from Sasuke's throat.

"After someone getting taken hostage, you will be faced with a difficult decision, and someone will die. In every mission, you will put your life on the line." He stepped off of Sasuke and walked over to the memorial stone.  
"Look at this.. The numerous names carved into this stone. All of these people are praised as heroes in the village." I looked down. My dad and aunt were on that stone. My dad, I never really knew; he died before I was born. But my aunt… Her face flashed through my mind and I clenched my jaw.

"I like that! I've decided that I want my name to be carved on that stone!" Naruto announced, and I glared at him. He was my friend but he was pissing me off right now.

"A hero! A hero! I'm not going to die a useless death!" He continued.  
"Ah, but you see, these were not normal heroes."

"Oh, what kind of heroes were they, dattebayo?" There was a long pause.  
"They were all KIA." Kakashi-sensei said in a flat voice.  
"KIA?"

"It means those who were killed in action." I told him, and his grin fell. The silence was tense. I saw Sasuke clench his jaw and frown, and I was sure I had a similar expression. My head was downcast, my grey hair matching my mood and covering my face. I clenched my fists.

"This is a cenotaph. The names of my friends are carved here as well." There was a pause.

"I'll give you one more chance." We all looked up, momentarily surprised.

"However, the battle for the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch only if you are up to the challenge. But, don't let Naruto eat. This is his punishment for cheating and trying to eat lunch early. If anyone feeds him, that person will immediately fail." So that was what he meant earlier by food stealer.

"I'm the law here. Got it?"

()()()()

We were eating lunch, and I felt another punch of guilt as I took a bite. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed a piece with my chopsticks and stuck it in front of Naruto's face.

"Take some." I mumbled with a blush on my face, looking away. Sasuke quickly followed suit, sticking his bento in front of Naruto.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun… But Sensei just said.." Said Sakura, looking at Sasuke.

"Don't worry. I don't sense him nearby." Sasuke replied and I blushed; I had forgotten to check for Sensei.

"We four are going to get the bells together then?" I asked Sasuke, who nodded.

"It's only going to be trouble if he's hungry." Naruto took the bite of food off my chopsticks. Sakura seemed to debate for a moment, but eventually stuck her bento in front of Naruto, who blushed.

"Sakura-chan… Arigato."

"You don't need to thank me. Just eat, hurry."

"But um…"

"I'm on a diet; I eat less than Sasuke-kun… So don't worry about it." I smiled; maybe she wasn't as bad as I thought.

"But I can't eat it. You'll have to feed me like Ayano did." Sakura blanched at this, eye going wide in shock and rage.

"We don't have time. Just do it." Sasuke said, looking around. Sakura glared at Naruto. _I take that back. _

"I'm only going to do this once. Understand?" I grabbed another bit of rice with my chopsticks and fed Naruto.

"God, if it's such a big deal, I'll do it. I don't mind. I have a six year old cousin who takes bites of my food all the time." I scoffed, and grabbed another piece. Sakura glared at me.

"I already said I would do it." She said, and gave Naruto a bite of her food. Then there was a huge _poof_, and smoke clouded my view.

"You four!" Yelled Kakashi. My eyes grew wide in shock. I pointed my chopsticks at Sakura.

"I blame you for this." I said as calmly as I could.

"But.. But.. Sensei, you said.. That's why they were..-"

"We're a four man team, right?"Sasuke said, surprising us all with his sudden want for teamwork.

"Y-Yeah! We're all together!" I yelled.

"We four are one!" Sakura agreed, apparently letting go of my earlier comment.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! That's right!" Naruto yelled.

"You're all together.. You are one.." Kakashi-sensei said, and I felt my heart plummet to my gut. I put both hands on my katana.

"You pass!" He yelled with a smile on his face.  
"Wait… What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"You pass."

"What.. Why?" Sakura asked.

"You four were the first. People I had previously were idiots who only listened to what I said. 'Shinobi need to think beyond the normal.' In the world of Shinobi, those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." Kakashi-sensei explained.

A huge grin was on my face. I looked over to the others and noticed that they were ecstatic too. Naruto looked on the verge of tears, Sakura had a big smile, and I even noticed a small smile on Sasuke.

"He's kind of.. cool…" Naruto said, looking like he was about to cry. _Yeah, _I thought. _He is. _

"We did it! We're Shinobi!" I yelled, a huge smile on my face.

"Let's go home." Kakashi-sensei said, walking away. We followed him, ignoring the yells of Naruto with smiles of amusement.

* * *

**AAAAAND Here it is! :D Sorry if it's short or crappy! I wanted to get it up for the Fourth of July. To other Americans happy 4th! To any British, INDEPENDENCE, BITCHES (I had to)**

**What do you think? Satisfactory? Does Ayano seem okay? What do you think of her?**

**Words to Know:**

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu: _Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu

_Doton: Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu: _Earth Style: Head Hunter Jutsu

_Fuuton: _Wind nature

_Doton: _Earth nature

_Katon: _Fire nature

_Arigato: _Thanks

**Fact: It is deemed by many impractical to use dual katana when fighting. They say that the blades are too long to use together efficiently. Also, Samurai typically used a katana and wakizashi (shorter blade) or tanto (shorter-er blade). But I figured that in a world where people use swords like Kubikiribocho and Samehada, not to mention Bee's 8 sword technique, it wouldn't be unreasonable to have someone use dual katana.**

**Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite Chakra nature? Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, or Lightning?**

**Disclaimer: I od ton nwo oturaN.**


	5. Chapter Four

Four- Are All Bridge Builders Assholes?

"Sakura, reporting in at point B."

"Sasuke, reporting in at point C."

"Ayano, reporting in at point D." Pause.

"... Naruto, reporting in at point A."

"You're slow, Naruto. Okay, Team 7." Came the familiar voice of Kakashi-sensei over the earpiece.

"The target has moved! Quick, follow it!" Ordered Kakashi-sensei, and there was a rustling in the leaves as we started the pursuit.

"I see him." I whispered.

"Over there." We all moved a few trees closer to the target.

"Distance to the target?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Five meters. I'm ready to go." Said Naruto, and we crouched.

"I am too." Answered Sasuke.

"Same here." I answered into the mouthpiece.

"Me too." said Sakura.

"Okay." Pause. "Go!" And then we pounced. Naruto quickly wrapped his arms around the cat.

"Haha! Got you!" Naruto yelled as Tora squirmed.

"Does it have a ribbon on it's right ear? Is it Tora?" Our jonin sensei asked.

"Yup. It's our target alright." I said as I dodged one of Tora's paws.

"Okay, Operation 'Rescue Tora the Lost Pet' is complete." As Kakashi-sensei said that, Tora dug his claws into Naruto's face. I winced.

"ISN'T THERE A MORE INTERESTING MISSION FOR US TO DO?!" Yelled Naruto and I sighed; It had been about a month since the training exercise with Kakashi-sensei, and missions had been… boring, for lack of better word. Last week it had been weeding Mr. Hatabe's garden and babysitting Mrs. Fujioka's five children. _Five. _This week it had been picking peaches in Old Man Furui's Peach Orchard and once again finding the Fire Daimyo's wife's cat, Tora. I had to say, when I had joined the academy to become a kunoichi, this was not what I had in mind.

"Naruto has a point, Kakashi-sensei. When will we stop doing chores for people and actually do something with a little more dignity?" I asked, exasperated.

"Hopefully soon." Replied Sasuke, since Kakashi-sensei hadn't replied (Naruto had probably made him deaf). I found myself nodding in agreement.

()()()()

I winced as the woman hugged 'Tora-chan' to her chest. The poor cat looked terrified. I looked over to my teammates and found they all had similar expressions. I knew what we were all thinking; _Poor cat. _A month had gone by since we became Team 7, and we had all grown a bit closer. I had made good friends with Naruto, and Sasuke seemed to not hate me (It was hard telling with him; I think he was neutral with me). Sure, some things had changed, but some things hadn't. I still didn't like Sakura (it was bordering on hate) and she still didn't like me, and Kakashi-sensei was late as always.

"Oh, Tora-chan! I was so worried about you!" Exclaimed Lady Shijimi, the Fire Daimyo's wife.

"No wonder he ran away." I said quietly, and Naruto and Sakura nodded. We winced in unison as she hugged the cat tighter.

()()()()

"Now then, Team 7's new mission is..." The Sandaime looked over the list in his hands.

"Watching over Yojyu-sama's boy," My eye twitched.

"Grocery shopping in a neighboring town," Twitch.

"And digging potatoes up at-"

"No!" Yelled Naruto and we stared at him in shock.

"No thanks to all of those!" I nodded.

"I want a more exciting mission!" He continued.

"Choose something else!" To my left Sasuke nodded, and Sakura looked pissed at Naruto; I scowled. Naruto was finally voicing something we all agreed on and she was getting mad at him. What the hell was wrong with her? Kakashi-sensei just sighed. Iruka-sensei stood up and slammed his hands down on the desk.

"Idiot! You are still a novice shinobi! Everyone needs to start with easy missions to gain experience!"

"Naruto has a point though. We've been doing nothing but boring missions for a while now. It's not just him that wants something more interesting." I said, defending Naruto and attempting to get a better mission.

"Yeah! We've only been doing dumb missions lately!" He yelled, and Kakashi-sensei hit him on the head.

"Cut it out."

"It looks like I need to explain to you all what missions are. Listen, a lot of clients come to this village every day. They request things ranging from babysitting to assassinations. On the request list, all their requests are ranked A, B, C, and D according to difficulty. In this village, we separate the shinobi into jonin, chunin, and genin according to abilities. We higher officials assign missions to shinobi according to their abilities. And if we complete the mission, we receive payment from our clients. You all have just become genins, so you get D rank missions…" Hokage-sama continued, but we had stopped listening awhile ago. We knew how missions and shinobi were ranked, and were now being distracted my Naruto telling us about ramen.

"I had tonkotsu ramen yesterday, so I'm going to have miso ramen today." He said.

"Mmm… tonkotsu is pretty good, but I like miso better." I replied, thinking about Ichiraku.

"Listen!" Yelled Hokage-sama.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Hokage-sama." I replied awkwardly.

"You always lecture me like that, Old Man." Naruto said, and I stared at him. Old Man? Yeah, the Sandaime was old, but I wouldn't go calling him that.

"But I'm not the kid who plays pranks anymore!" Naruto said, and turned away from Hokage-sama and pouted. I put a hand on my mouth to stifle laughter and Kakashi-sensei rubbed his head and sighed.

"Okay, I understand." We all looked up at the Hokage.

"If you insist, I will allow you to go on a C rank mission." I grinned widely, and I'm pretty sure I almost hugged Sasuke and Sakura in joy. I would've hugged Naruto too, but he was sitting down.

"It's to escort a certain person." At this, Naruto's shock seemed to have wore off.

"Really?! Who? Who? A Daimyo? A princess?" I chuckled.

"Jeez, calm down Naruto. It's probably not a Daimyo or a princess." I said, smiling.

"I'll bring him in now." Said Hokage-sama.  
"Can you please come in now?" The door opened.

…

"What? They're all kids?" Said an old man, a bottle of booze in his hand.

"Well, he's not a princess." I said to Naruto.

"Oi, is the short one with the stupid face really a shinobi?" Said the man, taking a swig from his bottle. Naruto laughed.

"Who's the short one with the stupid face?" He said with a grin. I stuck my hand out, sticking it on top of his head. I moved my hand over to my head in a straight line, showing that I was at least a good three inches taller than him. I was a about an inch taller than Sakura, and about an inch shorter than Sasuke. He seemed to get it now; Naruto was the shortest one, so he was the one with the stupid face. The blonde's face contorted in rage as he launched himself at the old man with shrieks of 'I'm going to kill you!'. Fortunately, Kakashi-sensei held him back.

"I am the great bridge builder Tazuna. Once we have returned to my country, you will protect me with your life while I complete the bridge." He introduced himself, and my eye twitched; I didn't like this guy.

()()()()

I was in the kitchen finishing dinner when I heard the door open.

"Honey, I'm Hoooooooooome!" Came the familiar joking voice of my uncle.

"I'm in the kitchen!" I yelled as I turned off the stove. I heard his footsteps as we walked into the tiled room and turned around to greet him.

"How was the mission?" I asked with a smile, grabbing the pan of Unadon.

"Good, good… The client was a real bitch though. Oooh, is that Unadon?" I grinned; my uncle loved anything with eel in it. He immediately leaned down and tried to grab a piece, forcing me to pull the tray away from his hands.

"You better back off, or no Unadon for you." I teased, and he took a step back.

"Now now, no need to be so extreme." He said.

"Where's Suzu?" He asked me, pulling on his grey facial hair in thought.

"She's upstairs playing with her dolls. Go get her for me, will you?" I asked, carrying the tray to the dinner table. Uncle did just that. I went back into the kitchen from the dining room to grab drinks.

Our house was pretty big. It was the main family's home in our compound, made for the clan head and their family. Since we were the last of the Hatoko clan, now we were the main family. Our compound wasn't as big as the Uchiha's or the Hyuuga's, but it was nice. It had a library, several homes, a forge, and a training area. It was hard for me to imagine the place bustling with people that looked like me. You could recognize a Hyuuga by their eyes, an Uchiha by their pale skin and dark eyes and hair, an Inuzuka by their dogs and face paint, and you could recognize a Hatoko by their grey hair. Our hair was typically a light grey, usually a shade or two lighter than the Hatake's hair. There was a rumor that the Hatakes were related to the Hatokos, but it was just a rumor; I was sure that I wasn't related to Kakashi-sensei.

Our clan's skill was kenjutsu. We had our own style of sword fighting combined with jutsu. Fortunately, all Hatokos had either wind, fire, or lightning chakra, sometimes two of the three. I myself was blessed with a wind and fire affinity, which was lucky since fire and wind worked extremely well together. My uncle Nobu had wind and lightning, and Suzu… we didn't know about Suzu. I didn't even know if she would choose to be a kunoichi like me. She seemed to kind hearted for that, just like my aunt.

()()()()

I leaned back in my chair, belly full. I let out a contented sigh. Uncle let out a loud burp to my right and we laughed. I playfully reached over and slapped his gut.

"Oi, I'm close enough to smell that, y'know.." I pinched my nose and looked up in mock disgust.

"Oh, my deepest apologies, Madame." Uncle said sarcastically, and I chuckled.

"I have a mission tomorrow, so you'll have to take care of Suzu." I said, voice now semi-serious.

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. We're guarding a bridge builder until the bridge is finished, so I'm not sure. Maybe a week, maybe two weeks. I need to go get my stuff together." I said, walking into the kitchen to rinse my plate in the sink, my family's laughter ringing in the air as Uncle messed with Suzu.

()()()()

"Yosh!" Yelled Naruto as we stepped out of the gates of Konoha.

"Let's go!" He yelled with a happy grin.

"What are you so excited about?" Asked Sakura

"I've never been out of the village!" Replied Naruto and I frowned. Surely, someone had taken him out of the village before, right?

"Hey, will a brat like this really be capable of doing a mission?" Asked Tazuna, and I scowled.

"Why does it matter to you? All we're doing is guarding you. It's not like we have to be very skilled." I growled and saw a faint flash of fear in Tazuna's eyes. What was that about?

"It matters if the shinobi are completely incompetent." He bit back and I glared.

"There's no need to worry. I, a jonin, will be accompanying you." Answered Kakashi-sensei

"Oi! Old man! Don't say bad things about great shinobi! I'm the shinobi who will one day become the greatest Hokage! The name is Naruto Uzumaki! Remember it, dattebayo!" Yelled Naruto, who was pissed at being called incompetent.

"Hokage is the title of the great shinobi in the village, right? I don't think you can do it."

"Shut up! I'm willing to go through any hardships to become Hokage!" Naruto yelled back.

"When I become Hokage, you'll have to notice me!" Naruto yelled back.

"I won't,kid. Even if you become Hokage." Tazuna replied.

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" Naruto yelled, trying to jump at the bridge builder yet again.

* * *

**Hey! It's a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it up. How'd you like it? I intended to have more space fromt he beginning to the Wave Arc, but I didn't realize the Wave Arc is right after the beginning. Do you like how Ayao's relationships with the others are (mainly with Sasuke)? There's not much talk between the two right now, but that will change after the Wave Arc :)**

**Please remember that everything I update is unedited and is posted the moment I finish it, so there will be errors and they will be posted at odd hours of the day/night.**

**Question of the Chapter: Did you enjoy the Fourth of July/What did you do on the Fourth of July? OR What did you do on Friday/Did you get annoyed at our extensive patriotism?**

**Words to Know:**

_Daimyo:_ Feudal Lord, Basically like the ruler of the country

_Tonkotsu: _Basically pork ramen

_Unadon: _Also known as Unagi Don (Who else thought of ATLA), it's a dish consisting of a donburi bowl with steamed rice and grilled eel, which is glazed in a sweetened soy-based sauce. (I got this from Wikipedia)

_Kenjutsu: _Sword fighting, whether by shinobi or samurai. i.e. the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist are all kenjutsu masters

_Yosh: _Alright, usually used as an exclamation. i.e. "Alright! We're finally going to Disney World!"

**Fact: This entire story is an altered version of a KakashixOC fanfic I was thinking about doing.****It started out as that, but then I decided I wanted to do Sasuke instead and my OC changed and the story changed and now it's this.**

**Ja ne, Roanna :)**


	6. Chapter Five

Five- This… Isn't What I Expected

"You're from Wave Country, right?" Asked Sakura from behind me.

"What about it?" Tazuna grumbled to my right. I exhaled in boredom; we had been walking for hours. Hopefully we'd be able to stop soon.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, are there shinobi in that country too?" Sakura asked the jonin next to me.

"No. There are no shinobi in the Wave Country. However, hidden villages and shinobi do exist in other countries, though their culture and customs may be different."

"The five countries of Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth hold the largest landmass and most influence, and are called the Five Great Shinobi Powers. The Land of Fire's Konohagakure no Sato, the Land of Water's Kirigakure no Sato, The Land of Lightning's Kumogakure no Sato, The Land of Stone's Iwagakure no Sato, and The Land of Wind's Sunagakure no Sato. Only the leader of each village is allowed the title of 'Kage'. The Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage are known as the Five Kages. They are the shinobi who rule over the tens of thousands of shinobi throughout the countries." Kakashi-sensei finished his lesson and I frowned. Was the Hokage really that powerful? It was kind of difficult to believe that the old man was that strong.

"Oi." We all looked to Kakashi-sensei.

"You all just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?"

"What? No… Of course not. Haha…" I said awkwardly. Yes. Kakashi-sensei put his hands on Sakura and I's heads.

"Don't worry. We won't have any battles in a C ranked mission." He said, eye smile in place.

"I wasn't worried." I grumbled, a childish put on my features.

"Well then we don't have to worry about there being foreign shinobi." Sakura said with a smile. I noticed Tazuna frown. What was up with him? He had been acting oddly.

()()()()

The bridge creaked under our feet as we stepped onto the wooden planks. It had been about thirty minutes since our conversation, and I was still getting bad vibes around Tazuna. Something about him made me uneasy. We left the bridge and arrived once more on ground. As we walked, I noticed a puddle on the ground. _That's strange… _But, I didn't give the mysterious puddle much thought. Someone might've dropped their canteen or something, and we weren't very far from the river. Hmm.. I would've thought it dried up by now, it was really hot. Confused, I kept on walking.

There was a loud noise and next thing I knew, Kakashi-sensei was wrapped in spiky chains.

"Sensei!" I yelled. They pulled, and he was reduced to a pile of gore. A squeak left my mouth and I covered it with my hands. I couldn't believe- He-He really- _No, calm down. Deep breaths, Ayano. You're a kunoichi. If.. If you can't handle someone….. dying, why'd you become a shinobi? _I forced myself to calm down. They were behind Naruto now. _Move. Move, dammit. Move your legs. _I commanded, and began shakily walking, and eventually running. A shadow fell on me and I looked up to see Sasuke, who had leapt to help Naruto. He pulled out a kunai and shuriken, and threw them, pinning the chains to a tree. He landed on the two shinobi, and broke the chains. I pulled out my two katana and began running, but the two split up. One was going towards Naruto, and the other was going towards Tazuna and Sakura. Which one did I go for? I decided. _Sorry, Naruto. _ I blocked the shinobi's attack with my left katana, and I charged up the blade with chakra. The blade immediately was cloaked in flames, and the man stepped back before the flames could burn him. As he did, I swung my right katana at him, slashing his thigh. The cloth ripped, and red blood flowed out of the shallow cut. I went up to him to continue the fight, but suddenly, the shinobi wasn't there anymore.

"What?" I asked, and looked to my right. The two of them were trapped by Kakashi-sensei. My mouth fell open in shock.

"Hey."

"Kakashi...Sensei." I said in shock, a smile on my face.

"Wait.. Then that was.." Naruto said looking over to where we thought he had died. It was a pile of logs. Kawarimi.

"Naruto, sorry for not helping quicker. I got you hurt…. I didn't think you wouldn't be able to move." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Anyways, Sasuke, Ayano, good job. Sakura, you too." He said, and I remembered how she had went to block the attack with her own body. Maybe she wasn't as bad as I thought. Naruto seemed lost in thought.

"Oi." Said Sasuke, and Naruto looked at him.

"Are you hurt… Scaredy cat." Sasuke teased.

"Back off Sasuke, it was our first fight. I'm surprised I was able to move at all. Don't act all high and mighty." I said with a frown, and brandished my bloody katana at him. He looked like he was about to retaliate, but kakashi-sensei intervened before we started fighting with each other.

"Naruto! Their claws are dipped in poison. We need to take it out right away." Kakashi-sensei said.

"We have to open the wound and leech out the poisoned blood. Don't move too much, or the poison will spread throughout your body. By the way, Tazuna-san… We need to talk."

()()()()

"These guys are chunin class ninja from Kirigakure. They are shinobi known to keep fighting, no matter the cost." Kakashi-sensei said, gesturing to the shinobi tied to the tree.

"How did you detect us?" The one on the right said, scowling at us. I scowled back.

"It hasn't rained in the past few days, and today it's sunny, so a water puddle shouldn't exist." Kakashi-sensei answered. _The water puddle… _I frowned; if I had focused on it more, maybe Naruto wouldn't had gotten hurt. If I had put more thought into it, maybe they wouldn't have attacked us at all.

"Why did you let the kids fight when you knew that?" Tazuna asked, and for once, I agreed with him. I didn't mind fighting, but it was a little cruel to let us think he had died. My legs were still shaking slightly.

"If I was up to it, I could've killed these two in the blink of an eye. But... I needed to know who the target of these two was." Kakashi-sensei said, and I frowned. It was Tazuna, right? Why would they be after us? We were genin.

"What do you mean?" Tazuna asked, and I again found myself agreeing with the old man.

"In other words, were you being targeted? Or someone from our team? We have not heard anything about you being targeted by shinobi. Your request was to be protected from armed groups like gangs and robbers. This is a mission that's above B rank." At this I gasped. What was that old man doing? Why did he lie about something like this?

"Our job was to support and guard you while you completed the bridge. If shinobi are our enemy, this is an expensive B rank mission." Kakashi-sensei continued and it suddenly made more sense. Tazuna probably couldn't afford a B rank.

"You have your reasons, but it only troubles us if you lie in the request details. This wasn't part of the mission." Kakashi-sensei said.

"This mission is out of our league." Sakura said.

"We'll be fine. Kakashi-sensei is a jonin, and we aren't helpless. The only problem is…" I trailed off in thought. If whoever hired these guys found out that they failed.. They'd send out someone stronger. These two were chunin, so the next would be jonin. I gulped. Kakashi-sensei was a jonin, so we would be fine. I thought. I didn't want to have to rely on him to protect us, but we didn't really have a choice.

"Let's quit! It's out of our league. We need anesthesia to take the poisoned blood out of Naruto. We need to go back to the village and see a doctor!" Sakura yelled.

"This sure is a burden. Let's go back to the village to heal Naruto." Kakashi-sensei said, and I was about to object when Naruto interrupted me by shoving a kunai in his hand.

"Naruto! What the hell?" I yelled.

"Why am I so different….. Why am I always… damn it! I should be stronger… I've finished lots of missions and practice techniques every day. I'm never going to do something that requires someone to help me. I'm never going to be frightened and try to back out of things…" He said.

"Um… Naruto.." I said, pointing to his hand which was gushing out blood.

"I'm not going to lose to Sasuke. I vow that to this pain in my left hand, dattebayo." He continued, not listening to me.

"I'm going to protect the old man with this kunai! The mission is still on." Naruto finished with a pained smile.

"Naruto, it's nice that you took out the poisoned blood so spiritedly, but.. you're going to die from blood loss if you lose any more blood." Kakashi-sensei said, and there was an awkward silence. And then, Naruto freaked out.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Naruto yelled, swinging his hand around and slinging blood on us.

()()()()

The sky was dark and the fire crackled from it's place in front of me. I awkwardly shuffled closer to the flames to warm my body, sighing in relief when warmth flooded me.

"Ah, it feels so good to stop walking. Especially after what happened." I said, laying down and relaxing on the grass. I didn't get a reply, not that I was expecting one. I was mostly talking to myself.

"What do you guys make of this?" I asked, gesturing to the sleeping Tazuna. Naruto scratched his head with his bandaged hand.

"He shouldn't have lied, but we can't go back. We told him that we'd guard him and protect him, and I never go back on my word." Naruto said, for once talking quietly so we didn't wake the bridge builder.

"Neither do I."

"I'm glad he lied." Sasuke suddenly said. We all looked at him, and the flames cast shadows on his face.

"If this had been made a B rank, we never would've gotten it. Those two were chunin, so if there's more, next is a jonin. We get to test ourselves. I can't wait." He said, clenching his fists in what I guessed was anticipation. I stared at him for a moment, before letting out a short laugh.

"That's the most I've ever heard you say." I said, grinning at him.

()()()()

"This mist is so thick I can barely see anything." Sakura said, turning her head as she looked around.

"I can't see shit." I said, attempting to see past the boat. We had woken up at five this morning, walked to the shore, gotten on a boat, and had been stuck in this bloody mist for an hour. I was tired, and I had to pee. Bad.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon." Said the boatman.

"Thank god."

"If we move along the side of the bridge, we'll be in the country of Wave."

I saw a large structure through the mist up ahead and gasped. The bridge. Fucking. Finally.

"It's huge!" Naruto yelled in amazement.

"Yeah." I said faintly.

"Oi! Be quiet. we're using this boat in the mist and I'm rowing instead of the engine to hide. In other words, if we're caught, we're in trouble." The boatman said, and we shushed.

"Tazuna-san.. Before we get to the pier, there's something I need to ask you. The identity of the ones after you and the reason they're after you." Kakashi-sensei asked, and I looked at the old man.

"Or, we can call this mission off when we get ashore." Tazuna sighed.

"It looks like I have to tell you the real story."

"As you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. An extremely terrible man is after my life. You should have all at least heard of the name… Marine transportation billionaire Gato." Tazuna said, and Kakashi-sensei's eyes went wide. Gato… the name was familiar.

"You mean the one from the Gato Company? He's one of the richest men in the world." Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Who?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes. He is the president of a Marine Transport company on the outside… But underground, he uses gangs and shinobi to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his sight on Wave. He entered this country using violence and wealth as a shield, and he quickly took over the country's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like Wave, controlling the sea means controlling the wealth, politics, and people. And the one thing that Gato is afraid of… Is the completion of the bridge that's been under construction for a long time." Tazuna finished, and we looked up to the bridge. It was hard to think that such a simple thing like a bridge could cause all this fighting.

"I see. So as the one building the bridge, you became an obstacle." Sakura concluded.

"So those shinobi were sent by Gato." Sasuke said, and I nodded.

"I guess now he realizes that chunin won't cut it." I said quietly, and Sasuke nodded.

"But I don't understand. Why did you leave this out of the request?" Kakashi-sensei asked.

"Wave Country is not a wealthy land. Even the Daimyo doesn't have much money. And we do not have much either. We don't have the money for a B rank or higher. If you quit your mission after I land, I'll be killed for sure while I go home. But there's no need for you to blame yourselves." Tazuna said, and my eyes narrowed. He was trying to guilt trip us.

"Only my cute little grandson will cry and cry some more. And my daughter will just hold a grudge against Konoha shinobi and live a lonely life. But it's not your fault." He finished, and I scowled.

"So.. You want to talk family?" I asked, suddenly angry.

"Have you heard of the Hatoko clan?" I asked, not really wanting an answer.

"All that's left of them is me, my uncle, and my cousin. Our clan's money has dwindled away over the years, and we have only a small amount left. Up until I became a genin, we were barely scraping by. My uncle is a jonin and is always gone on missions to feed us, so I have to juggle taking care of my five year old cousin and going on missions. If I die, who will take care of little Suzu? If I die on this mission, my uncle will have to quit his life as a shinobi to take care of Suzu, and will have to find work somewhere else. My family relies on me. I'm the only mother figure Suzu has since her mother died when she was two. Imagine what would happen if I left her." I ranted, letting out a breath when I was done. Everyone was staring at me now.

"But no, it's not your fault. Let's just get this mission over with. We said we'd help, let's help." I grumbled, and that was that.

()()()()

We glanced down at the terrified rabbit underneath the tree. Naruto had been fooling around and threw the kunai where he 'sensed someone' and it landed right above the rabbit's head. Funny, I would've thought that rabbits would be brown this time of year. I wonder what type of rabbit it was…

"Everyone! Duck!" Kakashi-sensei yelled, and we hit the ground. The next thing I knew, a huge sword flew through the air over my head and landed high up in a tree ten feet away from me. A man stood on top of it. He had bandages wrapped around his mouth, and his skin a dark yet pale tone. A Kiri hitai-ate was tied around his head, and he looked very familiar. Where did I recognize him from? I looked at his sword, and suddenly I knew.

"Oh my, my, you're Zabuza Momochi, the nukenin of Kirigakure no Sato." Kakashi-sensei said and I paled.

"One of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist." I whispered to myself, and Sasuke sharply turned his head to look at me, as did Sakura.

"Stay back, everyone." Kakashi-sensei said, sticking his arm out to stop us.

*Flashback

_A young Ayano sat in the living room with her Uncle Nobu. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen, where her Aunt Kaori was cooking dinner. _

"_Tell me more about being a shinobi!" Ayano said, bouncing on the couch. Her uncle chuckled._

"_You want to know about being a shinobi? Are you going to be one?" He asked and Ayano nodded._

"_Yeah! I'm gonna be a strong kunoichi and kick people's butts! Just like you!" Ayano said, making kicking and punching motions._

"_Well what do you want to know?" He asked playfully, picking her up and setting Ayano on his lap._

"_Tell me more about those swordsmen from… uh.." She asked._

"_Kirigakure?" He asked and Ayano nodded furiously. _

"_Yeah!" She said, a grin on her face._

"_Well, one of them is named Zabuza Momochi. He uses this huuuge sword, called Kubikiribocho." He started._

"_How big is Kubi..kiri..bo..cho?" She said, struggling with the name._

"_Kubikiribocho is as tall as me, and just as wide!" He said._

"_Nuh uh, you're lying! No way!" She yelled._

"_Yes way! He's so strong, he can hold it with one hand, and he is a master of using it." He said._

"_Just like you with your swords?" Ayano said._

"_He's even better."_

*Flashback End

I gulped; my uncle had told me about the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, and I had read about them on my own as well. Right now it would be best for Sensei to handle it, and if he needed help we could all jump in later. But one thing was for sure; there was no way we'd be able to beat him by ourselves, even if we worked together. We needed Kakashi-sensei for this one.

"Why?" Yelled Naruto in response to being held back by Kakashi-sensei.

"Listen to Sensei, Naruto. This guy's different." I said, keeping my eyes on the Swordsman.

"Looks like one of you has some sense. I hope they don't all act like him." Said Zabuza

"If he's our enemy…. I need this." Kakashi-sensei said, and began to pull his hitai-ate up.

"I'm guessing you're Kakashi of the Sharingan." Zabuza said, looking at Sensei. _Of the sharingan? _I looked at Sensei in confusion, and saw Sasuke look at Sensei angrily and confusedly. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. Sasuke was an Uchiha. The _last _Uchiha. To hear that somebody used the Sharingan, the prize of the Uchiha, would be confusing and possibly infuriating. I wouldn't be angry, but I could see Sasuke being pretty pissed.

"I'm sorry, but I need you to hand over the old man." Zabuza said from his sword perch.

"Everyone, form the Swastika formation. Protect Tazuna-san" Kakashi-sensei said, his voice deadly serious. We immediately complied.

"Don't join the battle." He said, and I knew this would bother Naruto.

Kakashi-sensei lifted his hitai-ate, revealing an eye that was blood red.

* * *

**Here it is! :))))) I would've made it longer, but it just seemed like a good place to stop. I had a lot of fun writing this one. If you can't tell, my chapters follow the episodes very closely. I literally watch them as I write. I'm constantly switching tabs. This chapter consists of half of episode 6 and 13 minutes and 20 seconds of episode 7. I haven't had much chance for them to interact alone that's not canon, but team 7 will get that chance when they're at Inari's place. I hope you liked this chapter. You get a better glimpse at Ayano's family and home life, which I think is pretty interesting. I think it's kind of funny; I always have some sort of plan of how I want the character to be an how I want the chapter to go but instead the damn thing writes itself.**

**A lot of things have happened since the last chapter. I cut up a pair of tube socks into a pair of normal socks and some gloves, I ate Jack in the Box food at three in the morning, I bought twenty dollars worth of music on iTunes and expanded my stash of Arctic Monkeys music to 20 songs on my phone (I have my sights set on Stuck on the Puzzle and You're so Dark), drew a picture of my friends and I, and met a childhood friend of my mom and uncle.**

**What did you guys do these past few days?**

**Words to Know:**

_hitai-ate: _ Their headband.

_nukenin: _Rogue nin, Missing nin

_Kubikiribocho:_ Decapitating Knife, Executioner's Blade- Zabuza's sword

_Kirigakure no Sato: _The Village Hidden in the Mist

_Iwagakure no Sato: _The Village Hidden in the Stone

_Konohagakure no Sato: _The Village Hidden in the Leaves

_Kumogakure no Sato: _The Village Hidden in the Clouds

_Sunagakure no Sato: _The Village Hidden in the Sand

_Kiri: _ Mist- This will always be used in reference to the village, like Konoha is

_Daimyo: _Feudal lord; Basically the leader of the country

_Kawarimi: _Substitution. This will always be referring to the Substitution jutsu (Kawarimi no Jutsu)

**Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it.**

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**For Following! :) I really appreciate it!**

**TheSecretNames: I immediately felt guilty after reading your very sweet review. I'm glad that you like it a lot! **

**LITTLE RED FOXX: Sorry for disappointing you! XD I hope this makes up for it**

**'Til Next Time! **


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